Barenaked Ladies in a nutshell
By Daily Bruin Staff
Oct. 3, 2000 9:00 p.m.
 Illustration by JENNY YURSHANSKY/Daily Bruin
By Emilia Hwang
Daily Bruin Senior Staff
Instant bands and manufactured singing sensations will
inevitably disfigure the face of U.S. pop history. Talk about
making the band and the word “band” suddenly denotes
the just-add-water boys of O-Town.
Well, America, you’ve heard the cookie-cutter gingerbread
bands with their industry-fabricated cheese and it’s time to
free your mind and make room for the genuine artifact.
Not exactly a household name, the Barenaked Ladies have been
around since 1988, but only recently broken into the American
mainstream with their 1998 release “Stunt.”
“Barenaked in America” takes an unabashed look at
the band during two weeks of their U.S. tour in support of
“Stunt.” The rockumentary, directed by Jason Priestly,
(who also directed the band’s music video for “The Old
Apartment”) gives fans a privileged panorama of BNL’s
unique world through rare footage from the early parts of their
career, interviews and viewer witnesses.
The film also provides concert footage and an all-access pass to
the band, documenting its mischief onstage as well as its antics
offstage.
 The Shooting Gallery (From left to right) Members of the
band Barenaked Ladies, Jim Creeggan, Ed
Robertson, Steven Page, and Kevin
Hearn (not pictured) star in "Barenaked in America,"
directed by Jason Priestly. To those familiar with
their live act, the boys of BNL are known as consummate
entertainers. Their magical connection to fans supercedes their
easy blend of spontaneous repartee and crafty improvisation. The
movie documents the inherent chemistry of the boys of BNL as they
challenge each other night after night to be creative performers
and skillful musicians. (Not to mention, for the die-hard BNL fan,
catching close-up shots of Page’s pelvic thrusts on the big
screen is a must-see).
The popularity of the band in its native country has brought it
much success, but the documentary deals with the lingering question
““ how far will BNL go outside of Canada?
With hints of folk, country, hip hop and funk, the Canadian pop
group has gone from a modest cult following to mainstream
popularity with the success of its
No. 1 hit single “One Week.” From its humble
beginnings when members couldn’t afford to record a demo for
a song called “Be My Yoko Ono,” to a large venue tour
with projection and animation, the documentary uncovers the method
behind BNL’s madness.
The outgoing musical personalities of frontmen Ed Robertson and
Steven Page guarantee a spontaneous and unpredictable musical
escapade at every performance. And getting up close and personal
has never been so easy.
The movie takes you back stage to witness the band’s
pre-show rituals, including Page applying ear rouge and
Robertson’s last minute “bathroom blasts” to
relieve his nerve pee. You can even hear accounts from BNL’s
tour manager, who breaks up late-night dance party trips and tells
the band to go to sleep.
 Barenaked Ladies are profiled in the movie "Barenaked in
America."
Beneath all the mad cap capers of the band, however, is the
serious story of BNL’s keyboardist and his fight against
cancer. Kevin Hearn was diagnosed with leukemia shortly after the
release of “Stunt.”
A huge inspiration to the band, Hearn was sorely missed on tour
by his bandmates for both his musical gifts and personal
contributions. Fortunately, his story has a happy ending, as in the
eloquent words of Robertson, Hearn eventually “kicked
cancer’s ass.”
The rockumentary also sheds light on BNL’s theory of
songwriting. According to Robertson, the band’s songs may
sound deceptively simple when obscured under the guise of pop
music, however, the light-hearted face of BNL’s giddy tempos
and melodies often artfully shroud true intentions.
For example, many listeners may be surprised to find out that
“Straw Hat and Old Dirty Hank” is a song about a farmer
who loves Anne Murray and his serious transgression ““
stalking. Similarly, “Alcohol” is a fun song that fans
love singing along to, but it often takes listeners awhile to
realize that they’re actually singing about the darkness of
alcoholism.
“Barenaked in America” is sometimes glamorous,
sometimes sentimental, sometimes hilarious, but always provides a
candid look at the hard-working and hard-playing boys of BNL.
Accounts from celebrities like Jeff Goldblum, Jon Stewart and
Conan O’Brien add to the humorous story of the cult Canadian
band as they travel across America.
From performing the “Star Spangled Banner” at a
hockey game in Philadelphia, to playing large arenas filled with
passionate fans who fervently throw boxes of Kraft dinners on
stage, the Barenaked Ladies round off their spirited saga of music
making with the serious challenges faced by bands who don’t
conform to the typical defrost-and-serve recipe.
And the rest, as they say, is history.
FILM: “Barenaked in America” is now playing in
theaters nationwide.
